Sweden says Iran has executed a Swedish citizen

Iran executed a Swedish citizen on Wednesday, Sweden's foreign minister said, adding that she had summoned the Iranian ambassador in Stockholm to condemn the decision.

Johan Ahlander and Louise Rasmussen/Reuters

March 18, 2026

Sweden says Iran has executed a Swedish citizen

Sweden's Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard attends a European Union Foreign Ministers' meeting in Brussels, Belgium February 23, 2026.

Yves Herman/Reuters

STOCKHOLM- Iran executed a Swedish citizen on Wednesday, Sweden's foreign minister said, adding that she had summoned the Iranian ambassador in Stockholm to condemn the decision.

The person, who was not named, was arrested in Iran in June of last year and Sweden has repeatedly raised the case with Iranian officials, Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard said.

"The death penalty is an inhumane, cruel and irreversible punishment. Sweden, together with the rest of the EU, condemns its application in all circumstances," Stenergard said.

The legal proceedings leading up to the execution did not meet the standards of due process, she added.

The Swedish foreign ministry and the Iranian embassy in Stockholm did not immediately respond to a request for comment when contacted by Reuters via phone and email.

-Reporting by Johan Ahlander in Stockholm, Louise Rasmussen in Copenhagen, editing by Terje Solsvik and Hugh Lawson/Reuters